Hinged container



June 5, 1951 c. u. DEATON 2,555,473

v HINGED CONTAINER Filed April 11, 1946 Y INVENTOR.

' Ba/es eaiof; Maa/l wwwa/Mw Patented June 5, 1951 HINGED CONTAINER Charles U. Deaton, Central'ia, Ill., assignor to McStay Jackson Co., Chicago, Ill., a copartnership Application April 11, 1946, Serial No. 661,301

6 Claims. (Cl. 22d- 31) My invention is concerned with improvements in a hinge structure which is particularly adapted for use on a container such as a ladies compact.

An object of my invention is to provide a separable hinge structure which is particularly adapted to be incorporated in a container and the closure member therefor, along any desired number of the sides thereof, whereby the closure member may be moved with respect to the container, by hinging movement about any one of the sides along which the hinge structure has been provided, the hinge structure along the remaining sides separating upon movement of the closure member.

Another object of my invention is to provide a container or compact comprising complementary sections having a plurality of abutting edges connected by separable hinges whereby one section may be hinged with respect to the other section along any desired one of said abutting edges.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a container having a body portion, a top portion, and a plurality of substantially straight sides, separable hinge structures separably connecting the top portion to the body Iportion along said sides, whereby the top portion may be hinged with respect to the body portion along any of said sides.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved separable hinge construction for hingedly connecting one movable member to another movable member.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the preferred form of my device which is shown, by way oi illustration7 in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view ci a ladies compact which has incorporated therein my improved hinge structure along all four sides of the compact;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view, to an enlarged scale, oi my compact with the members in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a side view similar to Fig. 3 with the members in partly opened position;

Fig. 5 is a View on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4

Fig. 6 is a View on the line 6--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view on the line i-l of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section through a portion of the hinge structure with the compact members in partially hinged position.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the drawings as embodied in a ladies compact comprising two shallow shell-like complementary sections II) andi I. One Section l0,

which, for convenience, may be referred to as the bottom section, is provided with an inner circular recessed portion I2 for the reception of make-up material, such as powder or rouge. A gasket I3 surrounds the recess I2 and a retaining screen I4 is secured over the same for retaining the material therein. The other section I I, which may be referred to as the top section, is provided with an inner circular recess I5 adapted to receive therein a mirror I6 which may be permanently secured therein in any desired manner as by an inwardly directed shoulder or bead |11.

The two sections I0 and II are provided along each side with a separable hinge construction I8 so arranged that the compact may be opened by hinging or pivoting the top about any desired one of thefour sides of the compact, each said hinge construction being provided with means for releasably retaining the separable portions of the hinge construction I8 in connected or interengaged relation when the two sections ID and II are in closed relation, and each said hinge retaining means being releasable when it is desired to open the sections about any one of the other hinged sides of the compact.

The separable hinge structure I8 comprises complementary cooperating members preferably formed integral with the top and bottom container sections I0 and II along adjacent sides of the same. The hinge or pivot line which is in the plane of the inner surface of each container section is indicated at I9 (Figs. 1, 4, 5). A series of circular ears 20 are arranged in spaced. relation along the edge of the section with the hinge line I9 approximately through the centers of the same. In the form illustrated the ears 20 gradually decrease in size from the center to the outer end of the hinge structure to conform to the curved shape of the container. The portions of the ears 20 which extend above the inner face of the section I0 have inwardly and upwardly sloping surfaces 2| and 22, fora purpose to be described. An end ear 23 merges into the body of the section and is provided on its inner face with an inwardly directed projecting member 24 which functions as a hinge pintle when the structure operates as a hinge cooperating with a hinge socket 25 in the ear 26 on the top section II, the socket 25 being provided with a downwardly directed slot 2'I to permit passage of the member 24 into the socket. On the other end of the hinge structure the ear 2B is provided with a recess or socket 29 having an upwardly directed slot 30 which permits passage into the socket of a cooperating hinge pintle 3| extending inwardly on the ear 32 on the top section I I.

The hinge pintle 3| and supporting ear 32 on the top section I I are the same structure as hinge pintle 24 and supporting ear 23 on the bottom section I while the ear 26 and its socket 25 on the top section II are the same structure as the ear 28 and its socket v2 9' on the bottom section I0. Referring to Figs- 6, 'Tand 8, the pintle member 24 is provided with vertical side surfaces 33, 34 which slope slightly inwardly and upwardly from the center toward the top similar to surfacesZI, 22 on the ears 20 and curved top and bottom surfaces 35, 36. Theislot 21 in the :socket .carrying ear 26 is slightly wider than4 the Width of the pintle 24 and will permit passage of pintle 24 into position in the socket 25 only whenfthepintleis moved in substantial vertical alignment with the socket. After the pintle 24 has fully seated in the socket 25 relative rotation of the ears 23 and'` 2lii Will'lock theipintle 24 in they socket 25, the-topandl bottom surfaces `35', 360i the pintle engaging the walls-off-thesocket'Z 5. The-*section shown VirrITFig. sillustrates-'the position of the pint1ea24- inE the Ysocket V.Z5- after thesections II] and II have been-opened a short distance. I have illustrated the,A hinge pintle 24 extending only partially between theear 23 and the adjacent ear 2l),V on the bottom section with the-cooperating socket 25.and slot 21 extending a slightly greater distance in the.A ear 26. It may be desirable to have the `pintle andits cooperating:v socket a different length, as forexample, the entire length of the space-between-ears. 23.and 2.0, The` socket must be sufficiently long to` accommodate the pintle and provided with a slot ofsufficient length to permit thepintle to pass. into position for rotation inA the socket. It will be understood that any number of cooperatingpintles and sockets may beembodied in the hinge construction. As illustrated in use on my compact the parts of the hinge oneach compactsection are, per se, identical inV structure.V They. are arranged complementary toeach other. whenthe compact sections are in proper relation for interengagement and use.

A series of circular ears31. providedon the top section II have downwardly and inwardly sloping side surfaces 38 and 39 and are arranged to interengage between the earson. the bottom section I0 when they are moved, toward each other from the disengagedopen position shown in Fig. 4 toclosed interengaging position. The ears 31 are the same structure as ears 20 and the sloping side surfaces 2|, 22v and 38y 39 provide clearance for the movement ofk the ears intointerengaged relation when they` approachv each other at an angle, as illustratedin Fig. 4,

In orderV to preventthe separable hinge structure from becoming disengaged when the container sections are `in normal closedposition, an ear 40 on the toprsection I'I is provided with a laterally` projecting nib or protuberance 4I and an ear 42 on the bottom section I0' is provided with a cooperating laterally projecting nibY or protuberance 43; the projecting portions of the nibs being constructed to snap past each other whenA theears-40 and`- 42 are moved into -interengaged juxtaposedposition V(Fig. 3,). When the structure functions asa-hinge thenibs 4I and @.3 move with their respective ears in opposite directions awayfrom each otheranddo not interfere with the hinging movement until the container sections have vbeen moved tofopen position which aslindicatedin dottedllinesuin Fig. 4 isa little d more than a right angular relationship when the nib on each section engages with the outer surface of the other section and prevents further hinging movement. When it is desired to separate the hinge members along one side of the container in order to pivot or swing the sections about another side of the container, the nibs 4I, 43 may bey readily snapped past; each other by pressure applied with thev fingers- Stop members 44 and 45 aligned with the fastener nibs 4I, 43 are provided on the respective container sections I.I. and IIJ to provide additional stop members and to avoid undue strain on the nibs 4 I, 43 when the latter function` asV stop members with the con-` tainer'sections inzopen position.

While I have illustrated my improved hinge construction vapplied to a compact or similar container, I contemplate using it in any arrangement where it is desired to separably hinge one member to another. As applied to my compact it permitsvtheluserto hinge the sections of the-compact about any oneof its sides .or edges. In any other arrangement its use will facilitate hinging one member with respect to another about. one side or about any one of a plurality of abutting sidesor edges whenever it is desired to doso.

Iclaim:

1. A-separable hinge construction for separably connecting two members which comprises com,- plementary interengaging ears spaced along the hingeli-ne-on each member, a hinge.pin-centered on` the hinge line and extending between a pair of spaced ears on one member, a cooperating ear on the other member havingv a hinge socket therein and :engageable over the hinge-pin, interengaging protuberances on adjacent cooperating ears whereby when the ears-are in interengaging relation the two members 'may be pivoted-about the hinge line and the struct-ure will function as a hinge or the members may be sepa,- rated by snapping the protuberances past each other and moving the separable hinge members apart.

2. A container comprising relatively shallowcomplementary container sections generally rec*- tangular in shape, a separable hinge construction along each sideof the container, said hingeconstruction comprising complementary interengaging members integral with each container v section, and releasable snap-acting interengaging projections on said members whereby the hinge members will be releasably held in interengaging relation when the container sections are closed and whereby the container sections L may be hinged along any one of the container sides upon releasing the hinge constructionsA along all the other sides.

3. Arcontainer as claimed in claim 2 wherein the hinge members comprise at sided pins and cooperating socket bearing members having restricted side openings adapted' to separably receive thepins when in aligned relation andretain the same in interlocked rotatable relation when they are thereafter relatively rotated.

4. A separable hinge constructionfor connecting two members which comprises complementary interengaging ears spaced along a hinge line on each member, a lhinge pin centered on the hinge line and extending along said line in the space between a pair of ears on one member, a cooperating ear on the other member having a hinge socket formed therein and engageable over the hingeipin, interengaginglatching formations on adjacent cooperating ears whereby when the ears are in interengaging relation the two members may be pvoted about the hinge line and the structure will function as a hinge or the members may be separated by disengaging the latching formations and moving the separable hinge members apart.

5. A separable hinge construction as recited in claim 1 and stop members on said ears limiting the opening movement of said hinge member.

6. A separable hinge construction as recited in claim 4 wherein said hinge pin is provided with iiat sides and wherein the ear having the socket for receiving the saine is provided with a restricted side opening to permit the pin to be received therein when in aligned relation and to thereafter retain the same in rotatable relation.

CHARLES U. DEATON.

5 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 499,936 Foster Aug. 2, 1892 595,480 Fletcher Sept. 26, 1893 606,896 Peed July 5, 1898 1,098,591 Schee et al June 2, 1914 1,312,403 Kenyon Aug.` 5, 1919 1,925,798 Epton et al Sept. 5, 1933 2,012,800 Allen Aug. 27, 1935 2,054,844 Mitchell Dec. 22, 1936 2,083,016 Hammerling June 8, 1937 2,200,399 Primas May 14, 1940 2,205,959 Boenecke June 25, 1940 2,208,158 Hiscock July 16, 1940 

